Amateur astronomers of all ages brought their glasses, telescopes and homemade viewing boxes to SUNY New Paltz on Aug. 21 to see a solar eclipse with their own (protected!) eyes.
It was a perfect late-summer day for this rare event, as the skies were clear as the eclipse achieved peak coverage (about 75% of the Sun’s disk) for our region, at 2:43 p.m.
The path of totality for this eclipse stretched from Oregon to South Carolina, marking the first time in the history of the United States that a total solar eclipse passed from coast to coast directly over the continental U.S.
While that arc of momentary darkness did not extend as far north as New Paltz, hundreds of people still came out to the College’s Excelsior Concourse to witness the phenomenon.
Members of the Physics and Astronomy Department and the Mid-Hudson Astronomical Association set up viewing stations – telescopes fitted with solar filters – and distributed solar glasses to help the crowd see the crescent-shaped Sun safely.
John R. Kirk Planetarium Director Raj Pandya had told the Times Herald-Record that he expected about 100 people to attend, but the actual count was many times more than that.
Did the eclipse inspire your interest in the heavens? Did you know that SUNY New Paltz hosts Astronomy Night at the Kirk Planetarium, twice weekly through the academic year? Use this link to learn more.
